30 Best Crime & Mystery Movies of the 2010s You Must Watch
The 2010s delivered a treasure trove of nail-biting whodunits, stylish neo-noirs, and nerve-jangling thrillers. Directors used sleek digital aesthetics, morally tangled scripts, and audacious twists to reinvent the genre, while stars and newcomers alike gave performances that still rattle around in our heads. From rainy cityscapes and dusty border towns to opulent mansions and claustrophobic interrogation rooms, these stories turned setting into a weapon.
This countdown mixes prestige masterworks with sharp gems you might’ve missed, spanning slick capers, methodical procedurals, and bleak character studies. Each pick earns its place for atmosphere, craftsmanship, and that delicious feeling of not knowing what’s around the corner—until it’s too late.
30. ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ (2012)
This sweeping crime saga threads together three interlocking stories about fathers, sons, and the cost of bad decisions. The first act sprints; the second broods; the third haunts, gradually revealing how violence echoes through a community.
What makes ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ special is its shifting perspective and confident tonal gambles. Bold structural choices, lived-in performances, and a melancholy score elevate a tale about legacy into something mythic.
29. ‘Calibre’ (2018)
A hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands spirals into panic after one terrible mistake. The tension coils tighter with each attempt to fix the unfixable, as small-town dynamics close in like a trap.
‘Calibre’ thrives on plausibility and dread. With morally gray choices and smart, unfussy filmmaking, it’s the kind of thriller that leaves you wondering what you would’ve done at every turn.
28. ‘The Man from Nowhere’ (2010)
A quiet pawnbroker with a violent past becomes the only hope for a kidnapped child. The film balances tender protector-protege beats with razor-sharp action and underworld intrigue.
What lingers about ‘The Man from Nowhere’ is how its emotion fuels its momentum. It’s brutal when it needs to be, but the heart at the center makes every stake feel personal.
27. ‘Widows’ (2018)
When a heist goes fatally wrong, the thieves’ widows are left with debt, danger, and a blueprint for one last score. The plot is intricate yet crystal-clear, weaving politics, grief, and power into the mechanics of a caper.
‘Widows’ is a sleek, grown-up crime story with spine. A stellar ensemble, crisp pacing, and sharp social angles turn a genre exercise into a fiery statement.
26. ‘Victoria’ (2015)
Told in a single unbroken take, this night-long odyssey follows a young woman dragged into a desperate robbery. The real-time approach turns city streets into a pressure cooker, where one choice births the next.
‘Victoria’ is audacity that pays off. The immediacy puts you in the thick of adrenaline, fatigue, and fear, transforming a simple premise into a breathless plunge.
25. ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017)
An opulent train, a snowbound night, and a corpse with too many suspects—classic setup, stylishly refreshed. The detective at the center dissects alibis and motives with theatrical flair.
‘Murder on the Orient Express’ luxuriates in design and mood while honoring a twisty puzzle. It’s a plush ride that still finds moral weight under the glamour.
24. ‘Mystery Road’ (2013)
A lone Indigenous detective investigates a murder on the Australian frontier, facing hostility from both criminals and colleagues. The wide-open landscape becomes a lonely maze of silence and secrets.
‘Mystery Road’ is laconic, patient, and quietly scorching. Its slow burn culminates in a showdown that’s as precise as it is potent.
23. ‘A Simple Favor’ (2018)
A vlogger befriends a glamorous enigma, only for the new bestie to vanish—then the lies start to bloom. It’s bubbly on the surface, pitch-black underneath, and full of playful left turns.
‘A Simple Favor’ is a candy-coated neo-noir with bite. The performances glide between comedy and menace, keeping you grinning even as the floor drops out.
22. ‘The Guilty’ (2018)
Confined to an emergency call center, a disgraced cop tries to save a woman in peril using only a headset and his instincts. The entire mystery unfolds through voices and imagination.
‘The Guilty’ proves that limitations can be thrilling. Sound design, timing, and a wound-tight lead performance conjure a world you can’t see but can’t escape.
21. ‘Nocturnal Animals’ (2016)
A gallery owner receives a manuscript from her ex, and its violent story mirrors old wounds. The film slips between elegant present and brutal fiction, blurring revenge and regret.
‘Nocturnal Animals’ is a chilly, hypnotic riddle. Its dual narratives feed each other, and the sting of its ending lingers like perfume you can’t wash off.
20. ‘The Town’ (2010)
In a blue-collar neighborhood built on robberies, a thief longs for a way out after a risky connection complicates the crew’s next job. Loyalty, love, and law crash together in tight alleys and armored trucks.
‘The Town’ delivers muscular set pieces with human stakes. It’s a crowd-pleaser that never forgets the cost of the life it depicts.
19. ‘A Most Violent Year’ (2014)
An ambitious businessman tries to expand without getting dirty while competitors play rough and the authorities circle. It’s a portrait of integrity tested in a world that rewards the opposite.
‘A Most Violent Year’ trades bullets for boardrooms and still crackles. Its tension comes from lines not crossed—until maybe they are.
18. ‘The Invisible Guest’ (2016)
A wealthy entrepreneur wakes up next to a dead body in a locked hotel room and hires a legendary lawyer to untangle the impossible. Every “fact” is a card waiting to be flipped.
‘The Invisible Guest’ is a twist machine that respects logic. Just when you think you’ve solved it, a new angle reframes everything without cheating.
17. ‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)
A down-on-his-luck private eye and a bruiser for hire stumble into a conspiracy with porn producers, politicians, and a missing girl. The jokes land hard; the mystery lands harder.
‘The Nice Guys’ is proof that buddy-detective stories still sing when the chemistry is right. Under the laughs, it’s a deftly constructed puzzle.
16. ‘Blue Ruin’ (2013)
A drifter seeks revenge and finds he’s not built for the aftermath. The violence is clumsy, the fear is real, and the consequences are merciless.
‘Blue Ruin’ strips the revenge thriller down to bone. It’s lean, mournful, and unforgettable in how it treats “an eye for an eye” as a doom loop.
15. ‘Good Time’ (2017)
After a botched heist lands his brother in jail, a small-time crook races through a neon-stained night to fix everything. Every solution is worse than the problem.
‘Good Time’ is pure kinetic anxiety. Fast, grimy, and human, it nails the sensation of choices narrowing until there’s only one left—and it’s bad.
14. ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (2011)
A retired spymaster returns to unmask a traitor at the heart of an intelligence service. Meetings, glances, and memory fragments become the battleground.
‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ makes paperwork feel perilous. It’s intricate but never fussy, rewarding attention with cool, devastating clarity.
13. ‘The Wailing’ (2016)
A rural cop confronts a wave of sickness and murder after a mysterious stranger arrives. Folklore, paranoia, and procedural grind blend into something uncanny.
‘The Wailing’ is a genre chimera that enthralls. It refuses easy answers, trading tidy closure for an atmosphere that crawls under your skin.
12. ‘I Saw the Devil’ (2010)
A secret agent hunts the serial killer who shattered his life, embarking on a brutal game of pursuit and punishment. The question isn’t whether he’ll catch the monster—it’s what he’ll become.
‘I Saw the Devil’ is vengeance as abyss. It’s shocking but purposeful, forcing viewers to confront the cost of staring back.
11. ‘Drive’ (2011)
A stoic wheelman with a double life tries to protect a neighbor and her child, triggering a cascade of betrayals. Silence, synths, and sudden violence define the mood.
‘Drive’ is a mood piece with a blade. Style and substance merge, turning a terse crime story into a neon-lit fable.
10. ‘Wind River’ (2017)
On a snow-blasted reservation, a tracker and an agent investigate a young woman’s death. The environment isn’t just backdrop—it’s a hostile witness.
‘Wind River’ pairs sturdy detective work with aching empathy. It’s tough, direct, and concerned with the people institutions forget.
9. ‘Hell or High Water’ (2016)
Two brothers rob branches of the bank foreclosing on their family land, pursued by a lawman nearing the end of his road. It’s a modern outlaw tale with dust in its veins.
‘Hell or High Water’ sings with character and place. Sharp dialogue and moral nuance turn a chase into a lament for a changing West.
8. ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)
A disgraced journalist and a brilliant hacker reopen a family’s cold case, unearthing rot beneath old money. The investigation is methodical, the menace ever-present.
‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ marries icy precision to ferocity. Its duo is electric, and the mystery satisfies both brain and gut.
7. ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
An amoral striver discovers he’s perfect for freelance crime footage, blurring the line between observer and instigator. Ambition becomes predation under the glow of late-night freeways.
‘Nightcrawler’ is a satire with fangs. It’s thrilling, queasy, and impossible to look away from—much like the footage it condemns.
6. ‘Knives Out’ (2019)
A beloved author turns up dead after a family gathering, and a drawling detective must untie the knot of motives. The house is a playground of clues and red herrings.
‘Knives Out’ revives the cozy mystery with swagger. It’s witty, tightly engineered, and generous enough to make every suspect fun to follow.
5. ‘Sicario’ (2015)
An idealistic agent joins a task force targeting a cartel boss and discovers the ground rules are shifting sand. Ethics erode as the mission’s true shape emerges.
‘Sicario’ is precision dread. It’s a procedural thriller that doubles as a meditation on means and ends, powered by immaculate craft.
4. ‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)
A young pickpocket infiltrates a wealthy household as part of an elaborate con, only for loyalties and desires to tangle. The plot is a hall of mirrors—sensual, sly, and surprising.
‘The Handmaiden’ is elegance weaponized. Every reveal deepens character, and every flourish serves the game being played.
3. ‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
A vanished wife, a suspicious husband, and a media circus feed on each other until truth becomes a performance. The narrative twists are audacious but meticulously seeded.
‘Gone Girl’ is a poison-tipped page-turner brought to life. It dissects marriage, celebrity, and image while still cutting like a thriller.
2. ‘Prisoners’ (2013)
When two children disappear, a desperate father takes matters into his own hands as a detective follows the colder path of evidence. Hope and horror trade places scene by scene.
‘Prisoners’ stares into the fog of uncertainty and refuses easy comfort. It’s absorbing, bruising, and anchored by powerhouse turns across the board.
1. ‘Parasite’ (2019)
A struggling family infiltrates the home of the wealthy, and the plan’s cleverness curdles into calamity. Genre lines dissolve as secrets rise from the basement.
‘Parasite’ is a virtuoso blend of social satire and suspense, playful one moment and devastating the next. It’s the rare phenomenon that earns every gasp.
Share your personal favorites and the twists that stunned you most in the comments!